Training April 24 - 30/Jay Dix Race

Mon-Rest

Tues- President's Hill Run, 7.5 mi, 58:18, 7:46/mi

Wed-Rest

Thurs-MKT, 7.2 mi, 57:51, 8:02/mi; Slow warm-up and then about mile 5 ran ½ mile interval at marathon pace.

Fri-Rest

Saturday, Hugh and I ran Jay Dix Challenge for a Cure 5K. We had the option of running a 10K as well. Since, I am running a marathon next week, I opted to run the 5K and Hugh prefers running the 5K for this race.

It rained Friday night and was also raining Saturday morning as well. The race started at 9 am and we arrived at 8 am to pick up our chips and run the course as a warmup. It was lightly raining, but by the time we finished our warmup the rain had stopped. Late registrations delayed the start until 9:10 am. We were told by the announcer if we weren’t running a 5:30 pace, then we shouldn’t be on the front row. We ignored his advice since from past experience, we knew that no one would likley be running a 5:30 pace for this race.

I took off at a fast start and was in 3rd place for the first mile. The other Andy in my age group was in the lead and I stayed back since I knew I should finish behind him. I found out later the guy that passed him was running the 10K. I didn’t see the 1st mile marker, but I think my split was about 6:11. The second mile I was passed by 3 people, but didn’t notice whether they were running the 5 or 10K. Second mile split was 6:03. The 3rd mile I maintained my position and split was 6:27. I did not push myself the last mile. The last 0.1 split was 40 sec, for a time of 19:19. This was a course PR for me since they changed the course in 2004. My previous PR on this course was 19:44 in 2004. I think this was a great time considering my effort. I wore my HR monitor and average HR was only 158 which is pretty low for me. I ran another 3.1 miles as a cool down.

After the cool down, we had the post race buffet which included hamburgers, cole slaw, potato salad, and chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies. Then we waited until all the results were posted and attended long award ceremony at about 11:30.

Official results are not posted yet on the Challenge to Cure website, but there were 223 runners for the 5K and I would guess less than 100 for the 10K. I placed 4th overall and since the guy that placed 1st overall at 18:20 was in my age group, I received the award for 1st in my age group. Hugh was also first in his age group and 13th overall.

Andy, Peggy, Hugh, Lisa, and Allan, Mid-Missouri Road Runners wearing their new hardware.

Sat-3.1 mi warmup, 29:05; 3.1 mi race 19:18, 3.1 mi cool down, 29:06

Sun-MKT, 8 mi, 1:02:44; Ran 1st 4 mi in 32:00 and last 4 mi in 30:44. Mile 7 split 7:24 and mile 8 split 7:19, overall pace 7:50, Avg HR-140

Running Miles: 32

YTD: 692.1

Duathlon Pictures

Training April 17 - 23/Duathlon

Mon-Rest

Tues-Riley Bonk Bonanza Short Course, 4.0 mi, 43:00, 10:45/mi; Once again, legs felt sluggish so I decided to run the shortest course. I tried a few sprints and it felt okay, but legs wanted to go slow.

Wed-Rest

Thurs-MKT to Bridge, 8.0 mi, 1:00:37, 7:35/mi; This is more like it! Legs felt normal and energy level was good. I even attempted to run 1/2 mi of the course in 3:20 and ended up running it in 3:00. I had a negative split for the last 4 miles.

Fri-Rest

Sat-Shakespeare's Pizza MaxTrax Duathlon

This was the second duathlon that I have done and I don't really know what I'm doing yet. I signed up for the long course which was supposed to be a 3 mi run/15 mi bike/3 mi run, but the run course was short.

I went out pretty fast on the run and my Triax was behaving erratically for pace so I stayed behind the guys that I know are faster than me. I wasn't sure what to expect with my pace, but
everything felt good. Transition to bike went smoothly although I felt l didn't get a fast start since lots of bikes were passing me.

The bike course was 2 laps and I lost count of how many people passed me. I was in 18th place after the first run and ended up a lot worse. I passed very few people on the bike. I'm still new at this and way undertrained on the bike so I know it is to be expected. Transition to run went okay, and legs felt funky for the first few minutes.

I enjoyed this last run the most. It meant the race was about over and I found myself catching up to runners and passing them like they were standing still even though I didn't feel my pace was very fast. They may be better on the bike, but I ruled on the run. Lots of other
CMC members were encouraging as I would see them before or after the run turn around. I passed quite a few runners during the entire run and they made no attempt to stay with me. I did find my pace increasing later into the run as my legs got used to not being on the bike. I think I could have run faster, but didn't push it since I was still passing people. During the second run, I felt like my right calf was about to cramp. It was a little sore after I finished.

I ended up finishing in 1:26:08, 46th of 165 overall, and 12 of 27 in my age group. In the results, it looks like they are saying the run is 2.6 mi based on the paces. After being updated 2 times, I think these are the splits:

Run 1-2.6 mi; 16:28; 6:20/mi
T1-1:04
Bike-15.2 mi; 48:53; 19.05 mph
T2-1:12
Run 2-2.6 mi; 18:31; 7:07/mi

There's definitely lots of room for improvement on the bike, but I'm pleased considering the few miles I've done this year. I've biked 186 miles total and 133 miles between March 27th and April 8th. I was either about the same amount behind some of the people I competed against last fall or closer to some. My speed on the bike was a little slower than the course last fall, but this was a hillier course. I'm way slow on the hills. I got aerobars last week, but did not use them for this race.

After the race, there was pizza, but it did not sound good for about 30 minutes. Hugh stopped by and he had run two 5Ks. At 9 am, he ran the Tim Heinsz Memorial 5K and at 10 am he ran the Show-Me Stampede 5K. There was another 5K at 11, but he did not run. I think he placed in the top 10 for the first race, but we aren't sure about age group yet. In the Stampede, he placed 1st in his age group.

Sun-MKT, 12 mi, 1:29:58, 7:30/mi; It was a bit warm today at 75F, but I felt good. Legs felt stronger, and energy level was great. I wasn't sure what to expect but just went with it. I ran the last mile in 7:11 and was negative split for the last half. First half was 45:18 and last half 44:40. Right calf is still a little sore but feel almost 100% recovered.

Weekly Running Miles: 29.2 YTD Running Mileage: 658.1

Biking Miles: 15

I had planned 36 miles but cut a couple runs short. 27 miles this week.

Hugh running the Tim Heinsz 5K

Race-Day Strategies for Marathoners

I found what I think is a good article on Race-Day Strategies for Marathoners by Pete Pfitzinger.

Pfitzinger is the author of Advanced Marathoning. Even if you don't consider yourself to be an advanced marathoner yet, it's a good book if you've already run a few marathons. The section I've found most useful thus far is for those of us crazy enough to run multiple marathons as close as 4 weeks apart. I'm considering trying one of the schedules in the book for a fall marathon which means I will be upping the mileage again.

Training April 10 - 16

Mon-Rest

Tues-Dave's Devil Run, 6.6 mi, 52:14, 7:55/mi; Run felt very easy.

Wed-Rest

Thurs-Capen Park, 7.5 mi, 57:00, 7:36 mi; I felt good and stayed with some of the faster guys for awhile. For the last 2 miles, I couldn't keep up, but kept a good pace. Maybe I shouldn't have pushed myself.

Fri-Bike, 15 mi, 58:25, 3:53/mi; legs felt tired

weights 40 min
stretch

Sat-MKT, 10 mi, 1:31:14, 9:07/mi; I ran with a slower person to prevent myself from running too fast.

Sun-MKT, 20 mi, 3:17:49, 9:53/mi; This run was somewhat like last Sunday, only worse. My legs felt sluggish, but I started out slower and slowed up even sooner than last week. Here's my splits, 8:00, 7:52, 7:52, 7:58, 8:25, 8:44, 9:06, 9:19, 9:22, 10:06, 9:49, 11:02, 12:29, 11:37, 12:26, 11:44, 12:28, 11:09, 9:50, 8:31.

I had no desire to push and was just trying to get it over with. I did try on the last mile and 8:31 was the best I could do. I think that I may be slightly overtrained. I'm going to cut my milage for Tues and Thur and run an easy pace. If I don't feel like running, I'll even walk. I'm taking Mon, Wed, and Fri off from everything. No weights and no biking.

Weekly Running Miles: 44.1 YTD Running Mileage: 628.9

Biking Miles: 15

This week I have 36 miles planned, but may cut back more if necessary.

Training April 3 to April 9

Mon-Bike, Brown Station, and once around Duathlon course, 22.9 mi, 1:22:32, 3:46/mi

Tues-Jaira's Jaunt, 7.1 mi, 57:57, 8:10/mi

Wed-Rest

Thurs-Rain Run, 7.1 mi, 52:14, 7:21/mi

Evening: Bike, Brown Station, Spiva Crossing, took it easy since no energy, 16.3 mi, 1:13:22, 4:30/mi

Later Evening: weights, 31 min and stretch

Fri-Rest

Sat-Morning: Column's Run (shortened), 6.5 mi, 58:52, 9:03/mi; felt sluggish

Later in the morning: Duathlon Course PracticeDuathlon Practice, run 3.0 mi (18:49, 6:16/mi), T1-00:56, bike 15 mi, (57:00, 3:48/mi), T2-2:30, run 3.0 mi (20:02, 6:40/mi)

CMC decided to have a practice duathlon race for the duathlon on April 22. These are official times since we tested the timing chips for this race. We had a Transition Clinic prerace with lots of good tips.

My T2 time is long since my running shoes were missing. Hugh did the short course and was already done so I wore his size 13 shoes which were too big for me (size 11.5). I didn't really push too much on the first run, I struggled on the hills on the bike, and pretty much gave up by the second run. It was only practice and I'm sure I will do much better in 2 weeks during the actual race. My bike time is pretty bad compared to everyone else. I'm sure that tiredness and no tapering had something to do with it as well as lack of experience. I guess I can't expect to be fast on the bike so soon.

A guy that ran the short course took my shoes home with him by mistake. His shoes were also yellow and white Mizunos with a Nike Triax Foot Pod on the shoe except I keep mine on the right shoe. His was on the left. He felt really bad that it happened, but I told him it was only a practice so no big deal. I'm still not sure why he would take 2 pairs of shoes home, but he blamed it on lactic acid. I think the odds of someone else having the same shoes and a Nike Foot Pod are not that great.

Afternoon: I didn't punish my body enough in the morning so I biked from Mill Creek Elem to Huntsdale, 20 mi, 1:19:03, 3:57/mi

Sun-MKT, 19 mi, 2:42:38, 8:34/mi; Legs felt sluggish and this long run quickly went downhill after 7 mi at about an 8 min pace. No pain, just tired, but I felt like I could keep going at a reduced pace. My last 2 miles were almost 10 minutes and I was pretty wiped out. A good run considering the amount of time I spent running and on the bike on Saturday. I also meant to only run 18 miles, but due to my state of mind I miscalculated.

Weekly Running Miles: 45.7 YTD Running Mileage: 584.8
Biking Miles: 73.2
Weights-31 min

Looking back at my training this week, I think it might be time to ease up a little. I'm going to cut back on the biking this week, take it easy on Tues, Thurs, and Sat runs. I have a 20 miler next Sunday that I'll try to run a decent pace.

Then it's a 3 week taper until the Flying Pig. I'll take it easy weekdays since I am also doing a duathlon and then a 5K the week before the Pig.

For running, here's the plan:
4/10/06-44 miles
4/17/06-36 miles
4/24/06-27 miles
5/1/06-17 miles, plus marathon on 5/7

Here's an amusing website that I found this week: http://www.realrunners.com/ You can take "test" to find out if you are a real runner. I found the book on Real Runners to be most interesting as I could relate to a great deal of it. Some people may find this too intense, but the PDF of the book can be downloaded at http://www.realrunners.com/realrunners.pdf

T-Shirt Etiquette

Note: I did not write this (I'm not THAT funny) but compiled it from several websites. Feel free to steal this for your own use.

In the running community the wearing of race T-Shirts has become asign of accomplishment and fashion. Choosing just the right T-Shirt for that special occasion can be a daunting and difficult task. The following guidelines have been compiled (in fun) to help the responsible T-shirt wearer avoid potential embarrassment and/or elevate their status.

1. A shirt cannot be worn unless the wearer has participated in the event. (crew, significant others and volunteers are exempt)

2. Any race shirt with a distance less than the race you are running shouldn't be worn to the race. It simply doesn't represent a high cool factor and sends a red flag regarding your rookiness. If you seta PR at Pikes Peak Marathon, definitely wear that shirt whenever possible.

3. When returning to a race in which you previously finished, then wear the shirt from the first year you completed the race. Don't short change yourself by wearing the shirt from the year before. It doesn't adequately display the feat of accomplishment or the consummate veteran status that you are due.

4. Never wear a race shirt from the race you are about to run. It displays a lack of running integrity and might put the bad-heebee-jeebee-mojo on you.

5. Wearing a T-shirt of the race, while currently running said race, is discouraged. It's like being at work and constantly announcing "I'm at work". Besides, you won't have the correct post race shirt then.

6. A DNF'er may wear a race shirt if... the letters DNF are boldly written on the shirt in question (using a fat Sharpie). The only way that you can proudly wear a shirt for a race you didn't finish: if you sustained a compound fracture, gouged eye or lost an appendage during said event. Stress fractures don't count!

7. During a race the wearing of shirt from a previously completed year is acceptable. Wear the oldest T-shirt you have (see guideline#3). This is probably a good practice because you now have no excuseto drop out since you've done it before.

8. Runners should buy all crew members and, as appropriate, significant others (they let you run the race in the first place) T-shirts which can be worn without regard to running the race. (seeguide #1)

9. Volunteers have full T-shirt rights and all privileges pertaining thereto, so there!

10. No souvenir shirts therefore friends or anyone else not associated with the race may not wear a race shirt. If mom thinks that the Leadville shirt is lovely, tell he to send in her application early for next year so she can earn her own. A downside to this: she still has plenty of time to write you out of her will between her training runs for the big race. Note: your mom CAN wear your finisher's shirt under on of these 3 conditions: 1 - You live with you mother; 2 - She funded your trip to the race; 3 - She recently bailed you out of the slammer. There is an exception to this guideline (refer to #16).

11. Wear the race shirt of your last race at the current race prerace briefing. The more recent the race the better. This is a good conversation starter. However avoid the tendency to explain how that it was a training run for this, and this is just a training run for the next, etc. It just sounds like your rationalizing mediocre performances. Sometimes it's best to live in the here and now. ("I've never been more prepared for a race! this is the big one!)

12. It must be clean, but dried blood stains are okay, especially if it is a trail race or a particularly tough event. If you're an ultrarunner, you can even leave in mud and grass stains (and porcupine quills). Not washing out the skunk scent is pushing the macho thing a bit too far, though.

13. If you've finished Hardrock 100 then wear it as often as possible, since the race is so damn hard.

14. Never wear a T-shirt that vastly outclasses the event you're running. It's like taking a gun to a knife fight. Or like unleashing an atomic bomb among aboriginal natives. You get the idea.(Exception: see guideline #13).

15. A corollary: never wear a blatantly prestigious T- shirtdowntown or at the mall among non-running ilk. People will just think you have a big head, which you do. You'll also get stupid questions, like "How long is a marathon?" If it's a shirt to a 50 or 100 miler, they'll think it's a shirt for a cycling event or just think you're frigging nuts, which (or course) you might be.

16. Never wear a shirt that has more sponsors listed on it than people that ran the event (Are you listening race directors?). A shirt with too many logos on it is just plain ugly. By the way, you can let ANYONE wear this shirt; non- finishers and distant relatives, alike. If you respect your spouse or mother, though, you won't let either of them wear it. You CAN wear it to change your car's oil or as part of a Halloween costume. It would also serve well in a gerbil cage.

17. Never wear a shirt that is so old, thin and threadbare that you can see the color of your nipples or chest hair. This seems to justbe a guy thing, especially an old- codger-runner-guy thing. Here'sthe test guys: if you're too scared to machine wash your 1980 BoulderBolder 10K shirt for fear of it wafting down the drain as mere subatomic particles, then it's probably too transparent to wear in public. If you can (still) remember your great performance on that particular day and want to save it for posterity, PLEASE have it framed so you can keep it on the wall in your den or in "Man Land,"and (at least) out of sight. Better yet, have it sewn into a quilt. You can then sit on your couch and read back-copies of Colorado Runner, cuddled up with your "runner's blanket," with a glass of warm milk.

18. By the way, If you don't know what things like DNF, Crew, volunteer or Significant Other are, then you shouldn't wear any race shirt until you know what they mean, and you shouldn't have any meaningful relationships, either. You should probably become a NewAge "Tantric" runner-hermit, sitting at home in the lotus position performing virtual marathons in your mind, while sniffing espresso beans, incense and patchouli.

T-shirts must be used sensitively. Worn responsibly, they can help expand one's consciousness and immerse you in a great conversation with your runner brethren. Worn stupidly, they can cause blisters, vacant stares, sprained ankles, and cause social anxiety.

NOTE: Publicly these guidelines will be denied and possibly ridiculed by runners, but privately and when discussed confidentially, they sing a different tune.

Training March 27 to April 2

Mon-Biking, 30.1 mi, 2:12:02, 4:23/mi; very windy both out and back

Tues-Tripp 10K, 6.2 mi, 43:13, 6:58/mi

weights, 28 min

Wed-Rest

Thur-MKT to Bridge, 3 one mile intervals with 1/2 mile recovery, ~6:40 each interval; 8 mi total, 1:01:01, 7:38/mi

weights, 40 min, stretch

Fri-Rest

Sat-Morning: Bear Creek, 8.8 mi, 1:25:18, 9:42/mi ; I ran in the Nike Frees for the first time and all went well. I kept the pace slow though since I was planning to bike and run more in the afternoon, plus a long run on Sunday.

Afternoon: Duathlon Course, run 1.6 mi (13:53), bike 15.3 mi (57:03), run 2.5 mi (22:01), bike 15.3 (56:22), run 2.5 mi (22:44)

Average 3:42/mi bike

Sun-MKT, 22 mi, 2:53:47, 7:54/mi

Weekly Running Miles: 51.6 YTD Running Mileage: 539.1

Biking Miles: 60.7

Weights-68 min

Completed and Upcoming Races

My Race Results

Sedalia Half Marathon

Saturday I ran the Sedalia Half marathon in Sedalia, MO. I didn’t sleep well Friday night, and didn’t feel completely rested. I think my body felt ready to race last night when I went to bed. We ate breakfast and left for the race around 7 am and arrived in Sedalia at 8:10 AM. After we checked in and used the restrooms, we took a mile warm-up run and then it was time to head to the starting line.

The race was my 3rd half marathon and I also ran it last year as my second half marathon. Hugh ran this as his second half. There were 21 runners from Columbia so our city had good representation. Temp was around 38 F when we started, sunny, and a little windy. I couldn’t decide whether or not to wear gloves and ended up deciding against them. I wore 2 shirts and felt too warm most of the race.

There were 132 runners. I set an ambitious goal for my time at 1:25 or 6:30/mi. Last year I ran this course in 1:28:59 or 6:48/mi. The reason I felt this was such an ambitious goal is that my 10K PR pace is 6:35/mi. I really wondered if I had improved enough to keep less than that pace for 13 miles.

The description of the course was the first mile is flat; miles 1 to 4contain inclines at 1.5 and 3 miles; miles 4.75 to 6.95 contain aslow decline; turn around at 6.95 miles; from 6.95 to 9 miles thecourse is a gradual incline; miles 9 to 10 are rolling; miles 10 tothe finish is slightly rolling with the last half-mile up a smallgrade. Elevation between high and low point is 65 feet.

I lined up in approximately the 3rd row hoping that I wouldn’t start out too fast. It seemed like I didn’t start out too fast and there were quite a few people ahead of me. In fact, I didn’t catch Hugh for maybe a half mile. I let them go and figured I would catch some of them later. There must have been more people this year since it seemed I was further behind than last year at the beginning. First mile split was 6:23. That first mile always goes faster than it seems!

I pass some people up until 3 – 4 miles, keeping a good pace. I wasn’t sure where I was placing at this point, but guessing maybe top 20. A guy that I had been passing back and forth passed me for the last time at about 5 miles when I slowed down for water. At 10K my time was 40:16 which is 5 seconds slower than my 10K PR. At the halfway point, 6.55 miles, my time was 42:37, 6:30/mi average. I didn’t know this at the time, but pretty amazing since that is where I wanted to be.

The second half there is some wind and I struggle a bit, but no one is very close behind or ahead of me. I almost wish that someone had been close since I really had to push myself to keep the pace going. I guess I wasn’t embracing the pain enough today. There’s not much along this course other than the water stations, cows, and dogs to cheer along the runners. I’m just trying to hold onto the pace and make it to 10 miles. After running the first half in mostly 6:20s – 6:30s, the second half was mostly 6:40s. I keep a good pace until the end and finish pretty strong.

Here's my splits:

1-6:23

2-6:24

3-6:22

4-6:27

5-6:37

6-6:42

6.55 mi, elapsed time 42:38, 6:30/mi avg

7-6:44

8-6:52

9-6:41

10-6:48

11-6:43

12-6:43

13.1-7:21

2nd half (6.55 mi) 44:10, 6:45/mi

overall time: 1:26:48, 6:37/mi

This is a new half marathon PR set on this same course where I set a PR last year. I improved 2:11 overall and knocked 11 seconds per mile off my pace. Last year I ran negative splits on this course, but I was pleased that my pace during the second half this year was still faster than my overall pace last year. I’m thinking maybe I started just a little fast this year, but I can’t complain about the end result.

After the race, there were numerous home-baked cookies to eat while we waited for the awards ceremony at noon. I placed 13th overall and 3rd in the 30-39 age-group and 2nd in the 35 - 39 age group. Hugh ran in 1:41:47 and improved his half PR by 8:26. He went out too fast, but that is just how he runs races.

This half was a test for both of us to predict how fast we might run the Flying Pig. In order to run sub 3 hrs, I will need to run a 6:52/mi pace which is 5 sec/mi faster than I ran Portland. My goal is to run a 6:47/mi pace so I am going to try to get a few more speed workouts done to make sure I am ready. I feel at this point it is going to be very close if everything goes well.

Results for this race are posted at http://ctc.coin.org/results/nonctc/shm2006b.html

My Award for 3rd place, 30-39 Age Group

Hugh finishing his second half marathon and setting a new PR.

Training March 20 - 26

Training 3/20 - 3/26

Mon-Rest

Tues-Dreier Course, B-Run, 6.1 mi, 51:45, 8:29/mi; I ran this hilly course easy to be ready for the half on Sat.

Wed-Rest

Thur-MKT to bridge, 7.5 mi, 1:01:12, 8:10/mi; This was supposed to be a speed workout where we gradually increase the pace. I ran easy except for the last few miles.

Fri-Rest

Sat-Sedalia Half Marathon, 1 mile warm - up
13.1 mi, 1:26:47, 6:37/mi

Sun-MKT with dogs, 8 mi, 1:16:57, 9:37/mi; We let the dogs set the pace today nice and easy. They both ran really well staying to the right and not pulling most of the time.

Bike-16 miles, 59:40, 3:44/mi; an improvement in pace over last week, but not much improvement in number of miles. More daylight soon so that should change.

This week I will resume weight workouts and get an interval workout done.

Weekly Running Miles: 35.7
Biking Miles:16
YTD Running Mileage: 487.5 mi

Training March 13 - 19

Mon-Rest

Tues-President's Hill Run, 7.5 mi, 57:26, 7:39/mi

My Tues/Thur workouts now include 1 - 2 mile of warm-ups so my overall pace is a little slower. My legs felt a little sore overall, but no ankle pain. I think I was still recovering from the 5K.weights, 41 min, stretched

Wed-Rest

Thur-Grindstone Park, 7.5 mi, 7:45/mi

Less than 6 hours sleep on Wed night so I skipped the weights. I'm going to try to get more sleep. I noticed that I was still sore fromTuesday's weight workout as well and running pace was off. I went to bed early and slept 9.5 hrs.

Fri-Rest

Sat-MKT, 10 mi, 1:21:01, 8:06/mi

Sun-MKT, 14 mi (steady pace), 1:42:43, 7:20/mi

This was a really good run, pace was steady, and legs felt good after.Soaked in hot tub and then 2 hrs after finishing run, biked 15 miles, 1:00:13. I used my new shoes, cleats/pedals (Speedplay Zeroes) for the first time. I think I need to make some adjustments to my seat but everything went well and I didn't get stuck in the clips and crash. The brand that I bought was supposed to be easy to use and I was not disappointed.

St. Patrick Day 5K results are up at 2006 St Patrick's Day 5K Results . I placed 8th overall.

Weekly Running Miles: 39

Biking Miles:15 (we will see if I can increase this a lot in the next few weeks)

YTD Running Mileage: 451.8

Training March 6 - 12

This week was a planned easier pace week and I also took off a week from lifting weights.

Mon-Rest

Tues-Dave's Devil Run, 6.6 mi, 49:45, 7:32/mi; left ankle felt better this week compared to the run last Tuesday.

Wed-Rest

Thur-MKT, 7.6 mi, 1:00:02/mi, 7:54/mi; took the pace really easy as a mini-taper for the 5K race on Sat.

Fri-Rest

Sat-St Patrick's Day 5K (3.1 mi), 5:54, 6:13, 6:02, :45; 18:54; 6:06/mi

warm-up, 3.1 mi, 26:35, 8:35/mi
cool-down, 3.1 mi, 28:37, 9:11/mi

Sun-Bear Creek Trail, hills, 16 mi, 2:13:07, 8:19/mi; legs felt tired so I took it easy, but no ankle pain!

Weekly Running Miles: 39.5 mi

YTD Mileage: 412.8 mi

Tuesday/Thursday Running Group

St. Patrick's Day 5K - A good day!

Saturday I ran the St. Patrick’s Day 5K. In January I began speed workouts with a goal of 18:45 for this race. I managed to complete 5 of the speed interval workouts and had not done any in 4 weeks. I never felt recovered enough on the day of my speed workout to do them mostly due to some ankle soreness from my long run. Since 2002, I’ve run this course at consistently the same time, 19:43, 19:56, 19:44, and 19:45 in 2005. I thought I could break the 19:43, but didn’t have a chance to break my 5K record in 2003 of 18:50 which was a different race and different course. Hugh also ran today and was looking for a good time as well.

It was the warmest day so far of the year with a high temp of 81 today, but only around 60 at the time of the race. We arrived about 7:15 and planned to do a warm-up around the course. After a mile, I felt pretty good, but didn’t push it too much and stayed with Hugh for the warm-up. Total 5K warm-up time was 26:35. After the warm-up, we put on our new race number belts that we purchased this week. I consumed an Energice and a regular Mint Honey Stinger and then we checked out the bathrooms one last time.

There were 595 finishers, up from 540 last year. I lined up very near the front since last year I placed 24th overall and second in my age group. Before leaving for the race, I read Chris’s race strategies again and the thing that seemed to stick with me most today was “embrace the pain”. The last minute, I decided my strategy was to go ahead and try for an 18:45, thinking I’d fade quite a bit in the last mile, and still beat 19:43, my best time for this course. The first mile felt great and a couple runners that are normally with or ahead of me at that point were still behind me. Being beaten by the same people so many times, it’s pretty easy to gauge whether you are running faster than usual. First mile split was 5:54.

The second mile started off pretty good but then I had to start pushing a bit to keep up the pace. I was afraid to push too much, thinking I would be in trouble in the 3rd mile. Near the end of the 2nd mile, I was slowly gaining on a guy that seemed to not want me to pass him so I stayed behind him for a bit. My second mile split was 6:13 which I thought was not too bad for how I felt at that point. I was tired of hearing the hard breathing of the guy ahead of me so I caught up to him and passed him for awhile, and then wondered if he was in my age group or not since I did not know him. At about 2.25 miles, he pushed ahead of me and I decided to let him go. At 2.5 miles I hear another runner coming up behind me, thinking it was one of the guys that normally place ahead of me. However, I think it was a cross-country high school runner and she seemed to fly by me like I was standing still. I didn’t even try to stay with her but told her “good job.”

At this point, I’m thinking hang on until the end, and “embrace the pain”. I kept pushing and my 3 mile split was 6:02. The last 0.1 mi is up a hill. I was thinking that the 2 guys that are normally ahead of me were probably right behind me, but I never looked back. I pushed hard and noticed the clock said 18:48 so I pushed even harder to get less than 19 min. The last 0.1 mi, I ran in 45 sec with an official time of 18:54. The other guys were 14 and 40 seconds behind me. There was one runner only 4 seconds behind me.

My time is 49 seconds faster than my PR for this course and only 4 seconds off my PR for a different race course in 2003. I’m very pleased with this time, considering some of my training the past few weeks with the painful ankle, and tired legs. Also, I’m pleased that I improve this time while training for a marathon.

I placed first in my age group this year! The next closest person in my age group was 19:55. I placed 8th overall and even got my name in the paper. I had no idea that I placed that well. I wasn’t really paying attention to how many people were ahead of me. The winning time was 15:46 so there were some people quite a bit ahead of me. Hugh's time was 21:09, 2nd in age group, and 48th overall and he beat some guys that he does not normally beat. I'm thinking this might have been a PR for him. After the race, we did a 5K cool down in 28:37. The great thing about running the course before and after is that you can take time to enjoy the sights where I can't usually do that while running a 5K. Race results are posted at http://ctc.coin.org/results/stpats/2006.html

Mid-Missouri Road Runners at the 5K


Hugh and Andy with our coasters

I Love to Run Races

I finally got around to creating a blog! I figured this would be a good way to track my training and since running is such a large part of my life, a running blog makes sense.

Today, I counted all the events that I would like to do this year. I counted at least 25 events that I am considering. I must love to run races so I'm not going to worry about it and decided that would be the title of my blog and my first post. I just wish I didn't get a shirt for every race. At 25 races per year, shirts can accumulate quite quickly and Good Will is the benefactor of many of those shirts.

The second race of the year is tomorrow. It is the St. Patrick's Day 5K and will be my second 5K for the year. This 5K was the very first race I ran after High School. I ran it in 1998 (never raced between 1988 and 1998) and finished 58th of 529 runners with a time of 21:22. In 1999, I slowed down quite a bit, 142 of 545 with a time of 24:18. I've run this race every year. After I lost 20 lbs on the Body for Life Program in 2001, my times for 2002-2005 have been sub-20 min with a PR for this course of 19:44 in 2004. I think it is time to break this race PR tomorrow! Overall, my PR for a 5K is 18:50 in 2003, but I'm not sure if I am up to that tomorrow. Anything can happen though. I will see how it goes.

I'm training for the Flying Pig marathon on May 7th. My training this week has been going well, but the previous 2 weeks were tough. My left ankle was bothering me after my long runs, I was tired a lot, and my legs never felt recovered. Things seem to be turning around this week so I'm hoping I can have a good race tomorrow. I've been feeling better this week, but held back on Tuesday's run as sort of a mini-taper before the event.